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Thursday, May 28, 2009

Review – “Atlantis Unleashed” by Alyssa Day

FROM THE BOOKCOVER:Poseidon’s warriors swore an oath eleven thousand years ago to protect humanity from those who stalked the night. Now those powerful forces are uniting. So are two souls who are all that stand between justice and the eternal darkness…

A warrior prince…Lord Justice made the ultimate sacrifice for his brother and paid for it with an unimaginable torture. Now he’s back, rescued from death, his sanity shaken, and his mission inescapable—the search for the lost Star of Artemis. But the beautiful human female whom he has sworn to protect is shadowed by an evil that could destroy them both…

A woman of science…The archaeological artifacts of Atlantis speak to Dr. Keely McDermott, sharing visions of life long ago. The ancient revelations have cast her into a world between past and present, between reality and illusion—and, when she meets the fierce Atlantean warrior assigned to guard her, between terror and temptation. Now as their two worlds collide, so too will danger and desire…

A quest for a lost star…Atlantis is unleashed.

Atlantis Unleashed is the newest paranormal romance from Alyssa Day and part of her Warriors of Poseidon series. I hadn’t read any of the full-length novels before and wasn’t sure what to expect, and what I discovered was an action romance that very much reminded me of Golden Age pulp fiction, bigger than life, full of alpha heroes and smart heroines, Gods and Goddesses, mystery, magic, and exotic locations. Think Saturday afternoon matinee Tarzan adventures or Doc Savage tempered with intelligent modern female protagonists.

I really liked the central love interest, Keely, a feisty archaeologist with an ability to psychically read objects. She gets invited to Atlantis and immediately becomes embroiled in Atlantean affairs and with the warrior Lord Justice. The two have a previous connection; hers through a cherished talisman she wears around her neck – an object carved by Justice hundreds of years ago and his from visions experienced while being tortured in the Netherworld. Once together they recognize this mutual bond. The following passage provides an example of the repartee and dynamic between Keely and Justice -

WeIl he was naked. Not so sure about unarmed, said the previously silent evil seductress side of her nature. That's a pretty big weapon he's got there.Great. She picked now to go all multiple personality.The sane side of her went right back to its personal agenda of scared, terrified, and pretty darn frightened, apparently, if the goose bumps traveling up her arms were any indication."Keely, please be calm." he said quietly, as if soothing a wounded animal."I'll be calm when you get me out of here," she pointed out, proud of how reasonable her voice sounded, when her heart was thumping in her chest. "Not the way we got here, either. None of that 'beam me up, Scotty,' crap. A nice, normal tunnel. Or stairs. Stairs would be good."

Atlantis Unleashed takes us to from the undersea kingdom of Atlantis to the jungles of South America with battles in ancient ruins, vampire orgies and trips to the past via Keely’s object reading ability. The novel contained some scenes that obviously referred to series wide story arcs but didn’t require any previous familiarity with the series to understand the context. If anything they pique the interest to discover what has happened in previous episodes. The overriding objective of all of the warriors is to recover the jewels of Atlantis that will allow the city to rise again into the world.

Throughout Atlantis Unleashed, Lord Justice struggles with the aftermath of his Netherworld experience and dual nature as a Nereid-Atlantean half-breed, which has essentially left him with a split personality whose inner voices want different things from Keely. It remains for Keely to tame his inner demons and help him integrate the personalities. Even with all of the action and adventure the core of Atlantis Unleashed is about Keely and Justice’s romance which is a roller coaster ride as they surmount the obstacles thrown in their way.

If you are looking for a fun blend of high adventure and paranormal romance, pick up a copy of Atlantis Unleashed, get some popcorn and settle in for a delightful read. Another adventure/romance unfolds July 7 when the release of Atlantis Unmasked brings us the story of another of the Atlantean warriors.